


Another Place

by yiling_weis



Category: Free!
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Excessive Drinking, Friends With Benefits, M/M, Nanase Haruka & Tachibana Makoto & Tokyo, Nanase Haruka and Tachibana Makoto Don't Grow Up Together, Red String of Fate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-24
Updated: 2020-02-24
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:35:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22879591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yiling_weis/pseuds/yiling_weis
Summary: Sometimes, Haruka sees a red string tied around his finger that connects him with Makoto.
Relationships: Nanase Haruka/Tachibana Makoto
Comments: 4
Kudos: 43





	Another Place

**Author's Note:**

> _"Feels like something's special but it never felt like love_  
>  _Wonder what we could be living in another life"_  
>  \- Bastille, 'Another Place'

“Almost done,” Makoto’s voice resonates across the tiny kitchen and snips at Haruka’s reverie.

He rises from his seat, shaking himself awake. “I’ll set the table.”

How strange. 

Not too long ago, he began his Saturdays by waking up on some stranger’s bathroom floor, woozy and disoriented from the previous night’s partying. 

Today, he finds himself in Makoto’s kitchen, listening to him whistle a vaguely familiar tune while the smell of fried bacon and eggs waft across the room.

A light breeze passes through the window. Warmer days are coming. 

“Thanks for the food,” says Haruka. 

“Let’s eat!” Makoto wears the same sheepish smile he gave Haruka upon waking up. _I’m gonna make breakfast for us._

Everyone who knows Haruka is aware of his little quirks and hang-ups. Most of them are familiar with his weakness for drinking and how he lets it cloud his judgment, which causes him to make a string of bad decisions. Like spending the night with anyone who gives him a tiny bit of affection. 

One winter night, Haruka’s knack for making bad decisions led him to Makoto. It was at a party full of their peers— university kids enjoying their last years of freedom before becoming corporate drones. According to Makoto, he stopped Haruka from plunging into the pool. Of course, Haruka was too drunk to recall it, but he thought it possible because he knew how badly he always wanted to swim and feel the water. 

After sleeping with someone, Haruka would typically scramble into his T-shirt and his jeans and say rushed, unceremonious goodbyes. The morning after he first slept with Makoto, however, Haruka stayed a little longer. _Good morning,_ Makoto greeted him with a bright smile and asked him how he took his coffee. The drink’s warmth flooded Haruka’s chest for days. 

Since then, they’ve been meeting whenever they want to do all sorts of things that make their hearts race. Never needing to fit into any crowd, they tear through the city and own the night.

Despite having a lot of encounters with different types of people, it’s Haruka’s first time to experience what he and Makoto share. The two of them aren’t just about taking their clothes off, kissing fervently, and latching onto each other all through the night. They’re also about enjoying the silence of the streets at four in the morning, talking about nothing and everything in between the sheets, and painting worlds as their fingertips skate across the other’s skin. 

They’re halfway finished eating when Makoto gazes at Haruka self-consciously. “Do I have something on my face?” 

“No, no. It’s just…” Haruka toys with his sunny-side up. “It’s been a while since someone made breakfast for me.” 

“Haru, it’s nothing. It’s nice having you around.” 

“I like being in your apartment too. I mean, free breakfast and coffee the morning after? What more can I ask for?” 

They laugh.

Both of them know there’s nothing more than their spontaneous night outs. Even if they’ve already spent countless nights together, they’re still strangers. They know nothing about each other aside from their name and phone number, making it so easy to keep out of touch. 

And they do, sometimes. They fade in and out of each other’s lives like secondhand smoke in the parties they frequent. There are times when Haruka would disappear into the crowd, and there are times when Makoto would take his time before he could meet Haruka again. They respect each other’s need to keep distance, that’s why they agree be contented with what they have right now. No promises, no expectations. 

Haruka accidentally bites a scorched bit of bacon. He winces at the bitterness. “I have an idea: I think you should let me make breakfast next time.”

“Haruuu…” Makoto’s face turns bright pink. “I worked hard on this!” 

“I know— and I really appreciate the effort. I’m just saying there’s still room for improvement.” Haruka flashes a teasing grin. 

“If you’re so good at it, then why don’t you teach me how to make a decent breakfast?” 

“Sure. Next time.” 

Morning light falls across Makoto’s face as he smiles. “Next time.” 

Tapping on his coffee mug, Haruka studies the play of light and shadows across the table. Sometimes, he sees a red string tied around his finger that connects him with Makoto. 

What else can explain their bond? Out of all of Tokyo’s residents, its millions of faceless people and whirlwind encounters, Haruka and Makoto found each other. 

Haruka likes how the red string pulls him towards Makoto, how it leads him to their current situation, but something crosses his mind from time to time: what could they have been in another time and place? Would they like to know each other better? Would they choose to be together? 

_Next time._

He clings to Makoto’s words like a soft and cosy blanket in the harsh winter.

He’ll keep seeing him. 

They’ll exchange more smiles, drink more cups of coffee, and tell each other more stories as they lie in bed together. 

He thinks about Makoto holding him until night turns into day, and somehow, the world feels a little bit warmer. 

**Author's Note:**

> i’d like to call this the ‘side B’ of my other friends with benefits fic, ‘i’m gonna leave you anyway’. the premise is quite similar, except here, the story is more poetic and whimsical. with bite-sized vulnerability and domestic fluff.
> 
> if you’re interested in what haru and makoto could have been in another time and place, check out [my slow burn MH fic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20934890/chapters/49770497). 
> 
> hit me up on [Tumblr](http://nanases-h.tumblr.com) & [Twitter](https://twitter.com/nanases_h)!


End file.
